President Rodrigo Duterte interacts with his supporters during the National Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Summit 2018 held at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Convention Center in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga on July 10, 2018.

Despite criticisms that President Rodrigo Duterte is recycling the officials he fired, Malacañang claimed that the administration has made "significant gains" to stamp out corruption and promote good governance.

“'Sibak, Sibak, Sibak (fire, fire, fire) has been the President’s consistent battlecry with officials including those holding Cabinet rank not spared from the Administration’s anti-corruption drive," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.

Roque said 17 local officials are facing charges in connection with the environmental woes in Boracay, which is now undergoing rehabilitation.

A total of 186 local officials have been stripped of their authority to supervise the police while 57 complaints against local officials were investigated.

Duterte has promised not to tolerate even a whiff of corruption in his administration and has fired several officials, including cabinet members, tagged in irregularities.

However, doubts have been cast on the seriousness of his anti-corruption campaign after some of the officials he dismissed were given new positions.

They include agriculture undersecretary Jose Gabriel "Pompee" La Viña, who was dismissed as Social Security System commissioner over costly project proposals. La Viña has denied abusing state funds.

Also given a new post is Melissa Aradanas, a cousin of Duterte's partner Honeylet Avanceña. Aradanas was dismissed from the service after Duterte revamped the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor over its officials' unnecessary trips and their supposed failure to conduct meetings.

Former military officer Nicanor Faeldon, who resigned as customs chief while the Senate is probing the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of shabu or crystal methamphetamine, is now civil defense deputy administrator. Faeldon has denied involvement in smuggling and narcotics trade.

A recent report by the Associated Press said about a quarter of the nearly two dozen officials dismissed by Duterte have been rehired. — Alexis Romero

Unlike some nominees or appointees, Sen. Gregorio Honasan is expected to breeze through the Commission on Appointments (CA) on his new post as secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. (Mislatel), the franchise holder in the consortium that was declared provisional new player in the telecommunications industry, yesterday refuted claims questioning the validity of its franchise.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan has accepted President Duterte’s offer for him to head the Department of Information and Communications Technology but he is expected to assume the post only after the Commission on Appointments confirms his appointment.